Unrequited
by Thefaultinourstarfish
Summary: Crescent Darnel has a crush on her best friend, Carswell Thorne, and thinks that now is finally time to try to confess her feelings. Small problem; he's moving across the country.
1. Chapter 1

"What's it like?" asked Crescent Darnel, laying on the blanket that her best friend, Carswell Thorne had spread out on the green spring grass in his backyard. The spring air was nice, almost too warm as summer approached.

The two had lived on the same street all of their lives, just two houses separating the pair. When Thorne's family had moved in when he was twelve, Cress just ten, the two had been forced to spend time together when their parents became fast-friends. Thorne's father worked with Cress's father. Well, her adoptive father. She had been an orphan, until she was adopted at the age of five.

As the two spent more and more time together, they bonded over how drastically different they were. Thorne was very arrogant for a boy going through puberty, with the acne he tried hard to get rid of and his hair that he spiked up with hair gel. Cress was little, but so was he at this point. Well, not little, but about average for a twelve year old boy. She was also very shy and timid, always avoiding eye contact and looking at her shoes. Thorne learned to bring out the outgoing side of her, and the two became the closest of friends.

Thorne rolled over onto his stomach and looked at her, his face now clear of acne and stubble covering his chin. He had matured into _quite_ the looker. All of Cress's friends were majorly jealous of her handsome friend, but she considered him to be her brother for most of the time she had known him. Until the last year she hadn't even considered anything romantic with him.

His blue eyes searched hers, and she smiled. The two, now eighteen and sixteen, had decided to stargaze after a stressful night of studying for their spring semester finals at school. Thorne would be graduating two days later, and the thought of that stressed Cress out to no end. Losing her best friend was something she wasn't willing to consider until after finals; and until it was real and actually happening. She would hold onto every moment with him while she still could.

"What's what like?" he asked, yawning and turning back to look up at the night sky. He took deep breaths, feeling content.

"Kissing," Cress said, her cheeks turning rosy.

Everyone at their school had known of Thorne's reputation. He was, and always has been, quite the ladies man. There were all sorts of rumors about his first time, the girls he'd been with yet never dated, and the infamous "list" of girls he had kissed. It was rumored that there were ninety-nine girls on the list, and every girl with a heartbeat and two eyes wanted to be the one hundredth girl that Carswell Thorne had kissed. Cress, had still never kissed a boy, or had a boyfriend. She'd always stuck to Thorne's side and heard all of his stories about girls and relationships. No boy was bold enough to approach her if they had ever crushed on her, and she didn't mind it so much. No one could ever interfere with her friendship with Thorne, which a stupid boy would probably want her nowhere near the school manwhore. High school relationships were just messy and dramatic, so she decided to avoid them entirely.

Thorne laughed. "I forget that you've never had your first kiss sometimes,"

Cress immediately scolded him for laughing, sitting up and hitting his stomach. This only got him more riled up, laughing harder. When Cress raised her hand to hit him again, a smirk playing on her lips, he held his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" He still laughed, which was always contagious, and as hard as Cress tried to stand her ground, she laughed too.

"It's so frustrating," she blew out breath, rolling back onto her back to look closer at the stars. "everyone's had a first kiss. You had yours in _kindergarten!_ "

Thorne, now on his side, tugged on a piece of her long blonde hair. "I've always been a natural when it comes to making the ladies swoon over me." Cress turned her head tolook at him and he winked, which brought on her eye rolling.

"You are so full of yourself," she said, looking back to the sky. Thorne adjusted and put his head on her stomach, now looking up at the stars too.

"Do I have any reason not to be?" he joked, smiling. Cress ignored him, lost in thought.

She hadn't ever felt anything but brotherly love towards Thorne over the years she had known him, until last year, her freshman year in high school. She didn't hang around him too much at school, but they had designated lunches on Monday's just for each other, so they could tell their stories for the week and sit at their favorite cafe and sip coffee and pastries and act much more mature than either of them truly were. She had finally started to notice how attractive he really was, one afternoon at the cafe.

* * *

It was the middle of December, the weather cold and snowy. So instead of their usual coffees, they had decided on hot chocolate to get into the spirit of Christmas. Cress sat across from Thorne at their booth by the window, nibbling on a blueberry muffin as Thorne told her a story about how he had received his black eye.

"He came up to me in the middle of our lab, fists raised, yelling 'You stole Scarlet from me!' Then, just socked me! Right in the eye!" Thorne shook his head. "Aces, it was painful. I've been icing it all weekend with snow because a snow ice pack is way cooler than a bag of frozen peas."

Cress frowned. "Who was it?"

"That one weird muscular senior with the facial hair. Ze'ev or something?"

"I don't know him," she shrugged. "but you should probably stop making out with every girl you see."

Thorne gasped. "I don't do that! We were at a party and I just kissed her like, a bunch, but there was no tongue, excuse you. Not a makeout, technically…"

"Thorne!" Cress sighed, shaking her head. Thorne shrugged and sipped his hot chocolate, leaving a whip cream mustache. He grinned.

That's when it hit her.

She laughed at his silliness, and butterflies flew around her stomach. It was unfamiliar and strange but she knew what it was. He looked adorable, absolutely precious. This handsome boy in front of her had a whip cream mustache and such a brightness in his eyes that made her heart do back flips.

His hair was a little messy, but in the sexy (oh my god his hair is _sexy_ ) kind of way. His blue eyes were oceans, so clear and so vibrant. She couldn't look away from him, and _damn those eyes,_ they were so beautiful, and also staring into hers, watching her. His cheesy grin changed, his brows furrowing. His eyes began to look confused as he watched her. God, no. She had been staring.

"You okay, Cress?"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She closed it and tried again.

"Yeah, just zoned out there for a minute, sorry."

* * *

Now, she knew how she felt about him. She wouldn't call it love, because she didn't know how that felt, but she was crushing. Hard. And she had been for a whole year.

Cress sighed, her eyes unfocused on the night sky. "So what's it like?"

Thorne contemplated it for a moment. "Depends on how you do it. The right way or the wrong way."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you have to do it right or it won't be all that special. A kiss is literally putting your lips onto someone else's and isn't always as magical as some people make it out to be. I didn't have my real, _right_ first kiss until I was fourteen. You'll know it's the right kind of kiss when it makes everything else disappear. I know I sound ultra cheesy right now, but it's true. A kiss that you can melt into and that is your only focus, that gives you chills and a longing in your chest. It's almost electric, like floating on clouds." Thorne smiled, content with himself.

"What's the wrong way?" Cress asked, twiddling her fingers.

"When you do it with someone that doesn't mean something to you, it isn't usually as great as it is when you have feelings for the person. It's so much more intense and captivating then. And don't be drunk when you do it. I have made out with many girls while inebriated and it is disgusting every time."

Cress laughed, then sat up, easing his head back into her lap as she did so. "Interesting take on kissing, Thorne." He rolled his eyes and a slight blush came to his face.

"You shouldn't have a lousy first kiss, I'm just trying to help you out." He tilted his head and looked up at her. They both grinned.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Romantic." He groaned.

"God, no. I'm Mr. Ladies man."

* * *

 **A/N: YAY FOR A NEW STORY! I hope you guys liked, I'm so excited to continue :) I'd love to hear your opinions and any ideas you have on what's going to happen next ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: HELLO BEAUTIFUL READERS! I got Stars Above the day it came out and have read Something Old, Something New (OMG IT WAS PERFECT) and I plan on reading all of the other lovely novellas this weekend :) ANYWAY, enjoy the new chapter :)**

* * *

The school bell rang out.

Chairs excitingly screeched on the floor, every student eager to get out of the dreaded high school and off onto the beginning of summer vacation.

Cress called Thorne as she walked to her car in the parking lot, the keychain Thorne had given her swaying with her as she walked, hitting her polka dot skirt. He had given it to her the summer before, after he went on a trip to Disney World. He had found a golden steering wheel, like one from a ship. He was very excited about the keychain and had given it to her to always give her a reminder of her best friend, Captain Thorne. She loved him so much more after that day.

Two rings.

"Hello hello, my dear Crescent Moon," he laughed, his grin audible.

"Hey there, Captain Thorne." She beamed, unlocking her car and putting her backpack in the backseat before sliding into the driver's seat. "Are you still meeting me for coffee and bagels before we get ready for your graduation?" she started her car, putting the phone on speaker and placing it in the cupholder.

"I sure am," he said. "I'm already on my way. See you in ten?"

Cress tucked her long blonde hair behind her ears, putting the car in reverse. "Sure thing. Love you," The profession of love was no big deal to the two of them, since they were practically siblings. He had said it to her first, calling her the sister he never wanted. She then had punched him and repeated the words, and the little pre-teens they were went back to talking about their silly "crushes" and petty drama.

Thorne laughed from the other end of the phone. "Love you, too, princess." Then he hung up and she pulled out of the school parking lot.

* * *

She was already sipping on her vanilla cappuccino when Thorne stepped inside the cafe. She perked up at the sight of him and set down the mug, smiling at the way he walked in through the door, immediately grinning and putting his hands into his pockets. He plopped down across from her in the booth, taking his coffee that she had already purchased for him.

"Hey there, honey." He winked and took a big gulp of his coffee. He exhaled and then sighed, sluggishly laying down in the booth, groaning. "I'm graduating tonight."

"I know!" Cress said, bubbly and beaming. She was excited for him, after all, but on the inside her heart was crying. Losing her best friend to college was going to kill her. He was going to go all the way across the country, to go to school in New York, leaving her in California with all of the idiot boys in her grade and snobby girls. Thinking about how he would react if she was upset about his leaving was too stressful to contemplate. So, instead, she kept the charade that she was ecstatic for him to be starting this new journey. Acting was an important hobby of hers, anyways.

"You'll help me iron my dress shirt and tie my bowtie, right?" Thorne asked, righting himself in his seat. "I'm completely clueless when it comes to the technicals of looking fabulous. I own it, naturally, but I couldn't possibly look my best without you."

A tiny blush crept up her cheeks, and she willed it to go back where it came from.

"You don't say," she smirked, stirring the spoon she had in her mug. "well, I'd be more than willing to make sure you are the most handsome graduate there is, tonight." Which, he would be, even if he was wearing nothing but stained overalls and one shoe. Her heart started beating a little bit faster. Thinking about him with no shirt on with those overalls, Thorne not wearing a shirt…

Which, she had seen many many times over the years. His stomach was sculpted by gods, she was convinced this was true. Perfect muscles, perfectly placed freckles (only four), with just a slight tan (though now as summer drew nearer and nearer, his tan darkened more by the day). She dreamed about that very stomach many times. The only word that ran through her head was "yum".

"Cress?" Thorne grabbed her attention back to the present. That blush returned to her face. He waved a hand in front of her face. "You space out too much, kiddo."

A tug at her heart strings. Kiddo had always been a common nickname between the two of them since they became friend, due to the fact that he loved to parade around about how he was two years older.

"S-sorry," she laughed, finishing her drink with a content sigh. "I have to go home and do chores before I can come over and get ready with you, but I will be there."

"Sweet," Thorne said, flashing his signature grin. He took out his phone, no doubt texting the new girl of the week. Cress took this time to adjust her hair in the window.

"Hey, I have a question," he stated, looking up from his phone a few moments later.

"Alright, shoot."

"I can expect you to drive me to the airport tomorrow morning, yes?"

"Duh."

Thorne stood from the booth and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, toots. I've got to go grab my cap and gown from the dry cleaners. I'll meet you at my house later."

"Alright, alright." Cress said, standing, too. They smiled at each other and hugged quickly before departing.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ this is how you do it?" Thorne called from his bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror as he attempted to tie his bowtie. The white bow was to stand out against his black dress shirt and red cap and gown. As he failed miserably at creating a beautiful bow, Cress was getting ready in his room, doing her makeup and curling her hair. She was wearing one of his t-shirts over the dress she was to wear, but was afraid to get makeup on it, so he had offered one of his school soccer shirts.

"Didn't you ask Siri?" Cress called back, applying the last bit of mascara to her lashes carefully.

"I'm so confused," Thorne whined, giving up and walking out of the bathroom and back to his room.

Cress stood up, looking at herself in the mirror, adjusting her hair, having just taken off the t-shirt over the royal blue dress that elegantly billowed from her petite body. It was one-shouldered, with a golden belt at the waist. Her long blonde hair was curled, with a braid crown. She turned from the mirror and rolled her eyes at him and his untied bowtie.

Thorne had to catch his breath. She looked- _wow_.

This was one of the few times he could remember looking at Cress, his best friend, and feeling such a big wave of conflicted feelings that he was taken aback. Of course, she was beautiful. Always had been. Two years ago, when Cress had been a freshmen and he a sophmore, there were several times when he had told nasty boys to "stay the hell away from her or i'll kick your ass". He thought his protectiveness of her has always just been because they were so close and she was his best friend, but it was starting to seem like his subconscious was trying to tell him something.

He had ended up fighting one of those hormonal boys trying to get with Cress. She had no idea of course, because Thorne would have been given quite the scolding from her if she had found out. He had broken the kid's nose, and given him a fat lip. Thorne was left unscratched save for a black eye, which he told everyone was from a ski incident when he had gone to the mountains with his family.

His chest stirred and that feeling-that overwhelming feeling was back. This girl before him was absolutely ravishing and he wanted nothing more than to skip out on graduation, push her up against a wall, and kiss her all over.

He felt some guilt as he thought it, but _spades_ she was screwing up his whole thought process. It was just a crush, obviously, and he did care about her, but there was no way he was in love with her and anything silly like that. Thinking about her didn't keep him up at night and he wasn't writing in a diary about his passionate and intense love for her. It wasn't like that. From time to time he simply thought about kissing her and touching her face and smelling her scent (floral, slightly like vanilla). Nothing serious.

Cress stood on her toes, even in her wedged heels, to tie his bowtie. Little did he know, she had spent the past two weeks practicing just so that she could have this moment.

Thorne gulped, the room becoming much warmer than it had been a moment ago.

"All done," she beamed, turning on her heel to grab her purse. "alright, let's hit the road."

Thorne regained his smooth demeanor quickly. He put his phone in the pocket of his slacks and smirked at her. "Thanks for the help, kiddo."

"You're welcome, Captain."

* * *

The two made it to the event center with fifteen minutes to spare. Since their high school was rather large, graduations happened at the local college's basketball arena, with lots of seats and lots of space for the class of seven hundred. Cress walked with Thorne down to the waiting room, where the seniors were to wait to walk out and take their seats when the ceremony began. They stopped before the double doors.

Cress handed him his cap and gown, which he slid on with ease, letting out a sigh.

"Guess this is really happening." he said, flatly. The excitement had left and the impending goodbye the two would have to share felt like it was creeping up closer and closer.

Cress clasped her hands together, looking down towards the ground. The reality was setting in for her, too.

"Yeah." Her voice was quiet and somewhat distant.

Thorne pulled her in for a tight hug, Cress returning it effortlessly. Heart pounding, she buried her face into his shoulder.

They spent a long moment wrapped in each other's embrace, taking deep breaths and dreading the inevitable departure they would have to make in the morning because he was leaving for New York. Leaving for college. Cress felt her heart being weighed down by the sheer thought of him being gone. Missing him.

How could he just leave without knowing her true feelings? Her heart was now pounding harder, her throat closing up. The nervousness flooded her veins, anxiety causing a hitch in her breath. The want- _need_ to tell him was coming up, crawling through her throat, threatening to vomit this massive bomb all over Thorne's finely pressed graduation gown.

"Thorne-" Cress began to feel light headed, her breathing becoming short and ragged. She had to just let it out. She had to. He would be gone in the morning. He was her best friend, she could say the words. It was necessary. He deserved to know. He wasn't going to judge her. It would be fine.

He pulled back. looking into her blue eyes with his own. Concern was etched into his features, pulling at her heart.

"I-I-I'm…" The words were struggling to come out. They were fighting to burst through her lips, to root themselves into his mind, stay there, let him contemplate them and decide how to react.

Thorne put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing his thumb back and forth slowly, massaging. His hand moved to her neck, twirling a strand of her hair in his fingers.

"Thorne-C-Captain-"

He took a step forward, footsteps coming from the other side of the doors he was supposed to be behind. The room he was supposed to report to several minutes ago, but rather than do that, he stood with Cress, licking his lips.

Cress felt her face radiating enough heat to be it's very own sun; all she needed was a planet or two to start orbiting around her head. She opened her mouth to speak again, but quickly closed it when he put both of his hands on her cheeks. The look he gave her was so intense and somehow intimate that she forgot how to breathe all over again.

"Stars, _Cress,_ " he breathed, and closed the gap between them.

Cress stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do. Her _first kiss!_ What was she supposed to do? Move her lips? Do something with her tongue? Too soon for that? What about her teeth? _How are you supposed to kiss?!_

As she stood there, completely paralyzed with fear, his lips began guiding hers, moving slowly against hers, slightly parting her lips. She felt herself slowly, very slowly, easing into the kiss as he began to show her the ropes.

The way her chest felt light and her feet felt as if they were floating away was causing her to smile in between their soft and sweet kisses. The feeling was almost indescribable. This feeling-could it really be because of a simple kiss? Two people placing their lips on each others? That was causing so much pleasure and hope in her heart? It felt like she was simultaneously flying and rooted to where she stood, slightly on her toes so Thorne didn't have to bend down so much. Her hands were on his shoulders, his still caressing her cheeks.

Finally, he pulled away, resting his forehead on hers, the closeness causing them both to blush, though they both smiled.

"I'm in love with you," Cress finally managed to spit out.

* * *

 **A/N: YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER! I'm SO excited for you guys to see what this story has in store! I'll probably have another chapter up tomorrow or Sunday, so I hope you are curious as to what will be happening next! ;) Please review, lovelies! Let me know your favorite parts and what you would like to see, and you'll just have to wait and see what happens!**

 **I love you all! Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A quick aside before we venture into the beauty and whirlwind that will be CHAPTER 3 OF UNREQUITED (!i'm internally screaming with you guys!) First, I'd like to formally introduce myself. I'm Livie, and I would love to know your names as well (only if you feel comfortable sharing that information, of course!) and if you review this chapter I will be sure to personally thank you and we can be friends! Alright, alright, anyways, onto the task at hand! I'm very eager to continue this story now that I've finally got it going! This is very very exciting and I'm so glad you all are happy with the story so far! This chapter shouldn't disappoint :)**

 **I do not own these splendid characters!**

* * *

 _Finally, he pulled away, resting his forehead on hers, the closeness causing them both to blush, though they both smiled._

" _I'm in love with you," Cress finally managed to spit out._

Thorne sucked in a tight breath, shutting his eyes shut. He let her words dangle in the ear, the awkwardness growing more by each second he avoided replying.

"Cress, I-"

" _Mr. Thorne!"_ The double doors to the room opened, and there stood principal Levana, as angry and filled with botox as ever. She looked livid, and quickled stormed over to the two teenagers. "You were supposed to meet in the waiting room _fifteen minutes ago!_ I do not have time to wait for you to break yet another poor young girl's heart! Now get ready to walk to your seat with the rest of your class, or don't graduate!"

Thorne let go of Cress with a sad smile, giving her a glance before he turned towards Levana, his classic smirk returning to his face. "I'm so sorry, Miss Levana. Forgive me." He looked back at Cress with an eye roll directed at the principal, and then he disappeared behind the double doors with the wretched woman.

* * *

Cress found a seat with her thoughts battling one each other. _He clearly doesn't feel the same! But why did he kiss you? Didn't he say that your first kiss should be with two people who care about each other? So he must care! But of course he cares, but he might not be in love with you…_

She decided to turn her mind off and glance through the program she had been given. She flipped through and found his name, _Carswell Thorne_ written in elegant script. She took a picture of it on her phone through snapchat and captioned it "When ur best friend is graduating :'(" and added it to her story with a disappointing sigh. This was it. He was about to walk across the stage and get his diploma and graduate. He wouldn't be going to school with her anymore. The dread of saying goodbye to him the following morning was eating at her insides, causing so much franticness and worry in her mind.

Cress took a deep breath and put on that fake smile she was great at showing off, and watched as the announcer, superintendent Torin, began the ceremony. The students began filing in, one by one, clad in red caps and gowns. Thorne came in towards the latter, because they were walking in alphabetically, and his last name starts with a T. As soon as he entered the large event center, Cress's eyes never left him. His smile was as radiant and heart-breaking as ever, surely capturing every female's attention. Her heart raced when it saw that very smile, especially when she was the reason behind that smile. It was so amazing to feel that she had made the man she loves happy; it never got old.

The ceremony dragged on and on; with seven hundred students having to wait for their names to be said into the microphone, plus the variou awards and speeches and songs and things done. It was after nine o'clock when they finally were handing out diplomas.

"Saraphina Thatcher."

Applause, some cheering, a petite girl walks across the stage.

"Tarver Theo."

Applause, more cheering and some obnoxious whooping from some of the other seniors, and one of the football players walks across the stage.

"Carswell Thorne."

Applause, lots of cheers (a few boos from butthurt girls and their boyfriends) and Cress was up, screaming and cheering on her best friend. The smile on her face was genuine, and the tears pooling in her eyes, too. It was a momentous occasion worthy of celebrating, but the longing she felt to see him again and again after tonight made it so much worse, knowing he was leaving so soon. But she was very happy for him. He was going to a good school and that was incredible. He was going to do amazing things with his life.

Thorne strolled up onto the stage, as suave and smooth as ever, that grin lighting up his whole face as he shook the administrators hands and took the classic picture before he walked back to his seat. Cress wiped her eyes as she sat back down, but tears still tumbled down her cheeks for the remainder of the ceremony.

* * *

As the graduation came to a close, the final speech was being made by a girl named Cinder, who Cress had been friends with for some time, but they weren't very close. She had been very good friends with Thorne since their freshmen year, though.

"So, class of two thousand and sixteen, remember that we are all capable of impossible things, and no matter your past, it does not determine your future. You do." She smiled. "Thank you, and here's to the future!"

Everyone then began cheering, and all of the caps were thrown into the air. There were hugs and kisses shared, and the ceremony had finally concluded. Parents and relatives began making their way to the floor where the seniors were to take pictures and whatever else they needed to do. Cress climbed down the stairs to the floor, Thorne locked in her gaze. He was speaking to a group, all laughing animatedly. She knew two of the boys, Kaito and Ze'ev (the guy who punched Thorne in class, guess they had made up), but she was unaware of who the other boys were. A girl named Scarlet Benoit (the one Thorne had made out with a few weeks ago) was hanging onto Ze'ev's arm, and there was someone's mother, presumably Ze'ev's, because she had the same dark hair and eyes. As she drew nearer to Thorne, making her way through the crowd, her heart dropped so hard and so fast she thought she was going to fall over from the impact.

A girl, a beautiful tan girl with long, gorgeous brown hair and huge heels that must have been killing her feet, ran to Thorne with full force and attacked him in a hug, causing them both to laugh and spin just so slightly. Cress tried to calm the panic that was taking over.

 _She's just a friend just a friend just a friend just a friend_

Cress took a few more small steps forward out of the crowd, but still keeping a good distance from Thorne and his friends.

Thorne beamed at the girl, laughing before she kissed him.

Cress felt her heart disintegrate into nothingness.

The shock hit her the hardest, definitely, knocking the air out of her. It was like someone had punched her in the stomach, and the pain in her heart would definitely leave some bruising. She stumbled ever so slightly, before she took a deep breath and marched over to the group.

"Princess Crescent Moon!" Thorne hollered, separating himself from the pretty girl to meet Cress and scoop her up into a big hug, which she couldn't help but return. She tried her hardest to get the image of him and that girl kissing out of her head, but it was like a broken record, playing over and over and over again in her mind, trying to get her to fall apart in front of over a thousand people.

It wasn't like she had a monopoly over Thorne because they were best friends. That didn't mean he couldn't be with other people simply because she had feelings for him. He probably didn't feel the same way anyways, so she needed to get over herself and not let her feelings get the better of her and ruin this good night.

Cress plastered on a new fake smile and giggled as he squeezed her tight. When Thorne let her go he was elated, the excitement bursting out of him.

"I successfully graduated high school!" he cheered, and Cress cheered along with him.

"You did it!"

Thorne kissed both of her cheeks before he turned to the group, waving a goodbye. "I have a lady to spend time with before I head out in the morning. I love you guys, I'll text you!" He then grabbed Cress's hand and pulled her through the crowds, weaving in and out of the masses as they made their way towards the exit.

They arrived at his car moments later, and then Thorne and turned to face her, quickly grabbing her by the waist and pulling her against him as he leaned against the driver side door. Cress found herself blushing, so confused as to the current state of their relationship and the events that had occurred after the ceremony. Her brain was swimming in a pool of conflicted feelings and utter confusion.

"Crescent, Crescent," Thorne drolled, a lazy smile playing on his lips. He dug his fingers into the small of her back, ever so gently, and Cress was starting to feel dizzy with how fast her mind was moving.

"You have the prettiest eyes I've ever had the pleasure of seeing, did you know that?" he asked, placing a kiss onto her jaw, his eyes hungry and filled with so much emotion she was sure her heart had stopped beating. He unzipped his gown and took his arms out of the sleeves, placing the gown on top of his car, along with his cap.

"Thorne-" Cress reached for his hands, to pull them off of her and start talking, to get an explanation for all of these strange happenings.

"No, no no." he whined, a pout now all over his face, as he pulled her into a hug again, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Please give me tonight, Cress," he muttered quietly, making sure it was for her ears only. "I want to spend the night with you."

Cress's face caught on fire and she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to control herself and have _some_ decency and _some_ self respect.

"I don't mean that in the way you're thinking, trust me. I just want to lay in my bed like we used to with the huge bowl of popcorn and boxes of candy and our fuzzy blankets that matched our fuzzy socks. I'm sure we can run by the nearest store and buy some blankets and socks and whatever else I don't have at home. Please don't let me leave tomorrow without spending one last night being kids again. Let me have a night with my best friend. My crazy beautiful best friend-" he shut his mouth to kiss her neck and she pushed him away immediately, her whole body over aware of everything that was happening.

"Thorne, stop." She took a few steps back and crossed her arms. "You can't kiss me and let me confess my feelings to you with no response of any sort, then kiss some random girl and call me princess and I'm confused and stars, this sucks, please just talk to me about this. I'm not going to stand here and be a piece of putty. I need to know what the heck is going on."

Cress took a deep breath, looking him straight in the eye. Thorne sighed, putting his hands in his pockets.

"That was Elena." Thorne blew out another breath, running a hand through his hair.

"Elena?" Cress clenched a fist, uncrossing her arms and putting a hand on her hip.

"Yes, Elena. My girlfriend."

"Oh."

Cress laughed bitterly, turning to nothing in particular as she started babbling. "Of course she's your girlfriend, because you love making irrational decisions at the most inopportune moments. Of course!" she laughed again. "I fell for your silly little games, just like all of your other hundreds of girls. I let you kiss me, _steal_ my first kiss-" Thorne cut her off.

"Steal? You would rather it have been someone else?"

Cress sent him a glare. "Now isn't the time for your cockiness."

Thorne shrank back.

"I told you that I was in love with you, because I was, but how could I be in love with a man who would kiss me while he's still in a relationship? I am such a fool, a complete and total fool for thinking that I could just confess and expect everything to be fine, we'd be fine, we could stay friends, everything would be _peachy_."

"Cress, I broke up with her yesterday."

"Then why were you _kissing her!?"_

He sighed. "She broke her phone last night. I left her a voicemail. She won't be getting her phone back and fixed until tomorrow, and I didn't have the heart to break up with her in front of everyone ten minutes ago. I gave her a final kiss and now she can weep over me while I'm already in New York. I'm sorry if you really think so lowly of me, but I really care about you Cress, and I don't want anything to jeopardize our friendship."

Cress looked down at the ground, shrinking back into her shy and anxious and sad shell. "So, if you don't want to jeopardize our friendship, that means you don't feel the same way about me as I do you."

Thorne took a few easy strides to her, and placed his finger beneath her chin, lifting her face to look at his.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure of my feelings for you."

Cress deflated.

Thorne kissed her forehead. "What I do know, is you make me happy. I think you're amazing, and you make me want to be a better person. Ze'ev asked me if I wanted to go to a party tonight with a bunch of other people, which would mean getting drunk and kissing a few different girls. But I chose to skip out and spend my last night in town with you, because you're what matters to me."

Cress looked so intently into his eyes, her heart pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it.

"And that kiss was the best I've ever had. Probably because we both care so much about each other.." He paused and laughed, the magical grin returning to his lips. "I guess I do know how I feel about you, Cress."

She raised her eyebrows, hope filling her eyes, filling her heart.

He leaned in close, his lips grazing her ear, sending a shiver down her spine despite the warm, humid night.

"I just might be in love with you, too, my dear Crescent Moon."

* * *

 **A/N: OMG WHAT A CHAPTER! Don't get too comfortable with these happy endings, there's going to be a lot of angst and hurt in the future ;) When? Only time (and my updates) will tell ;) I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave me some lovely reviews! I enjoy your feedback immensely!**

 **Have a wonderful day, lovelies! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning the pair shuffled around Thorne's room, gathering all of his carry-on items and putting them in his backpack. Everything else has already been packed away into his suitcases. His parents were going to mail the few boxes he was so bringing with him on the long journey to New York.

The night before after Cress had confessed her love, they went back to Thorne's house to hang out before the impending goodbye they would have to give the following morning.

They walked in, yawning and awkward composing themselves and fixing their clothes, as they had just spent twenty minutes in the back of Thorne's car, kissing, and kissing some more.

Cress could not believe she had gone from being hopelessly in love with her best friend for years and finally telling him how she felt and getting just the reaction she wanted! He said he was in love with her too!

Well, he said might. But she was going to take that as a yes and enjoy the last night she would get to spend with him until Thanksgiving break.

When they finally made it into Thorne's room, Cress plopped down onto the comforter, yawning with a smile on her face. Thorne took a seat next to her, smiling back.

"What an unforgettable night," he said, untying his tie and draping it over Cress' face. Cress giggled and wore the tie as a scarf.

"I agree. Now, let's get some sleep, lover boy!" said Cress, grabbing a pillow and hitting him with it as she rolled out of the bed. Thorne laughed and stood, stepping over to the closet to hang up his gown. Cress got to her feet and padded to the bathroom to change, locking the door behind her.

This was unbelievable. She was spending the night with Thorne as they had been doing for years and years, but this night was unlike the others. She had experienced not only her first kiss with Thorne, but her second and third and _twentieth!_ This was amazing!

She slid her dress off and put on one of Thorne's t-shirts as she had always done when she stayed over at his house, She then took her spare toothbrush she always left at his house, brushing her teeth as she looked in the mirror, unable to stop smiling. This night was going to replay in her mind for weeks to come.

After finishing cleaning up and getting ready for bed (a bun on the top of her head and two makeup wipes later), she stepped out of the bathroom.

And gasped.

Thorne lay on his bed, shirtless, wearing only a black pair of basketball shorts and holding a bottle of wine. He was practically beaming as he winked at her.

"Time to celebrate!"

Cress laughed and climbed into the bed with him, unable to stop the laughter.

"You are absolutely ridiculous," she said, but smiling still. Her cheeks were hurting from all the smiling she had been doing on this night.

"Oh, come on! What's a celebration without a couple of drinks?" Throne wiggled his eyebrows, sitting up. He moved his lips close to her ear.

"By the way, you look _so_ sexy," he said, and kissed her cheek. Cress blushed and pushed him away playfully.

"You know I don't drink, Thorne." She had only ever drank twice, at a few parties Thorne had dragged her to. She hated the alcohol she drank, hated the people there, hated the throwing up afterward, and chose not to do it.

"Tonight's a night of celebration though! For me and you, too. Let's have some fun!" He grinned again, now giving her puppy dog eyes. Cress rolled hers, then grabbed the bottle, taking a swig.

"Only for you."

"This is going to be fun," Thorne grinned.

* * *

The next morning, Cress woke up with a small headache and the worst case of morning breath she ever remembered having. Her head lay on Thorne's bare chest, some drool on her chin. She quickly reached down to wipe the drool away with Thorne's t-shirt she was wearing.

Only, she wasn't wearing his t-shirt.

Or any shirt, for that matter.

Cress panicked for just a moment as she recalled the night before. There had been mention of wine, and she had began drinking it, as did Thorne. They started watching Tangled as they frequently did, and then Thorne had...kissed her again. And again, and again…And he took off her t-shirt, and she climbed into his lap, and it continued to escalate...

But she remembered it all. It was no drunken mistake or impulsive decision. They had barely even drank a quarter of the bottle, as they didn't want Thorne to wake up with a hangover the morning of his flight, and Cress hated being drunk. Tipsy was another story; so they had their fun.

Oh my god, Cress thought. Not only had she just had her first kiss the night before, but her actual first…

Thorne continued to sleep as Cress' mind whizzed and raced in the bed beside him. She eventually gave it a rest and got up to get ready for the day, and maybe make Thorne some breakfast before his departure.

An hour later, Cress stood in the kitchen with Thorne's parents, helping make a farewell breakfast.

"I'm going to miss that pain in the ass," his mother said, laughing. "Insulting him is the only thing I can do to not cry,"

Cress laughed and hugged her, then returned to flipping pancakes on the griddle.

"I'm sure it won't be bad having him gone, it will just take some getting used to. He's something else." His parents both laughed. Cress had already showered and gotten ready for the day, wearing a flowy black skirt and cute white tank top. A few minutes later, Thorne emerged in the kitchen, freshly showered and yawning in his sweatpants and v-neck.

"Hello hello, ma famile," he smiled, kissing his mother on the cheek, and patting his father on the shoulder. "Ready to ship me off?"

His mother coughed and looked away, clearly smiling through the tears. "We're so proud of you, Carswell." His father smiled at him as well, hugging him and rubbing his head.

"You're going to do amazing, son."

Thorne exclaimed. "Dad! My hair!"

Everyone laughed and began setting the table for breakfast, which was eaten rather quickly because they were running behind on getting to the airport. Cress sat and ate her food, her mind stuck on the night before, still very much in shock that it had happened at all. Thorne seemed entirely unfazed though, casually chatting and laughing with his parents. Cress and Thorne then gathered all of his luggage in his room, not talking very much. His parents had work soon and decided that letting Cress drop him off at the airport would be the best option, as Cress had agreed to do days before. After all the packing up, they said their tear-filled goodbyes to their golden son.

* * *

The airport was only a twenty minute drive, so the duo sang to some of their favorite songs together the entire way there. Once in the parking garage, Cress helped Thorne get his bags and walked with him through the airport to security, where they were going to have to depart. For real this time.

Thorne finally stopped walking, and turned to look at Cress, who was beginning to feel the reality of this set in. Her lip was beginning to trembled as she stared at the floor, trying not to let Thorne see her like this as he always did. She wanted to be strong for once.

"Hey, Cress," he said, tilting her head back up towards him with his thumb. "It's gonna be okay."

And she lost it.

She dropped his bags and practically tackled him into a hug, sobbing into his shirt. "I don't want you to leave me."

Thorne rubbed her back, kissing her forehead. "Don't do this, Cress. It's going to be alright. I'll call you every night, I promise."

Cress held onto him for a long time, trying to memorize this feeling, this warmth, his warmth. The thought of him across the country, leaving her alone, was making her chest ache. She could hear Thorne's heart starting to thump louder, his voice straining as he tried to make himself seem strong as well. Cress looked back up at him.

"I love you, Captain," she said, tears continuing to roll down her cheeks. "You're always going to be my best friend."

"Of course, Cress. You're my cadet." He smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. He then closed his eyes and leaned in, placing a soft kiss onto her lips.

"I'll call you when I land, okay?"

Cress nodded, sniffling and then grabbing him one last time, for one last hug.

"Until next time," she said, composing herself.

"Au revoir," Thorne smiled, and began to walk away. He waved as he reached security, signaling that it was okay for Cress to leave.

And, she did. The tears didn't stop for hours, but she made it back to her bed, and spent the rest of the day missing her best friend and their wonderful, amazing, last night together.

* * *

 **A/N: LONG TIME NO SEE! I missed writing these two, as they are my absolute favorite couple of all time possibly :) Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know if you want more updates or any new story ideas as I am in a major writing mood right now :) ALSO im working on the next chapter already, but I won't post it until there's been at least TWO new reviews! So let me hear your thoughts lovelies 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Another update so soon! I have a lot more free time now and reading some fics has been helping ease my mind, so I'm back and ready to update as much as I can! Let me know what you think of this chapter and where you think the story is headed :) This chapter may be a bumpy ride….**

* * *

 **June 15th**

The sound of Harry Styles' song, _Sweet Creature_ began to blare from Cress' phone as she lay in bed, painting her toenails.

 **Incoming call: Carswell :)**

Cress gasped at the sight and quickly answered the phone, knowing over the blue nail polish onto her comforter and cursing, then smiling and listening intently.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, my damsel," Thorne's voice said, as suave and confident as ever. They had weekly phone conversations on Thursday nights, when the two had the most free time. Since Thorne was taking summer classes, Thursdays were good as he didn't have class on Fridays. Cress didn't work on Fridays, since it was summer and she had just started a job at the coffee shop, the _Aces & Spades Cafe, _that the two had been visiting together since they were old enough to need coffee as a source of energy. Cress liked the job enough, it wasn't terrible and it helped keep her mind off of Thorne (which was very hard to do).

"Hey, Captain. How was class today?" Cress said, quickly putting the nail polish away and running to find bleach to remove the now huge blue stain.

"As boring as ever, the usual. My professor is _super_ hot though so it isn't all that unpleasant." She could practically hear him smirking over the phone. She rolled her eyes as she began to spray the comforter, to no avail. The stain wasn't going anywhere.

"Ha-ha-ha, very funny. While I'm sure she's a delight, you do have a girl waiting for you back home…" she said, smiling. "I mean, I know a girl who's kind of head over heels for you…"

"You do, don't you? You should give her my number." Thorne laughed, a sound Cress missed every single day they were apart. The texting every day and the weekly phone calls were simply not enough for her. Feeling him near her and seeing his face was something she took for granted. And with how he left, with what happened the night before, it was hard for Cress to concentrate on hardly anything since he departed. Especially since they hadn't necessarily _talked_ about what happened….

Cress laughed in return and sighed happily. "I miss your face," she said, "Thanksgiving is so far away."

"Don't worry, Cress. It'll go by so fast, you'll hardly even realize I'm gone."

"It's already miserable. Jacin has already texted me five times, trying to get me to hang out with him now that you're gone."

"I'm going to kick his ass," Thorne said, laughing. "The boys are gonna chase after you now that I'm gone and they see how beautiful you are." Cress put the ruined comforter in the garbage and returned to her bed, rolling her eyes again.

"Whatever. Speaking of, well, relationships, and that sort of, uh, stuff...Can we….talk about….the night before you left?"

Thorne cleared his throat, and there were voices in the background.

"I'm sorry Cress but I actually need to go. Me and some of the boys are headed out for the night. I'll text you later, okay?"

And the line went dead, leaving Cress with an ache in her chest, and a million different unanswered questions. How could Thorne just blow her off so easily? Didn't he tell her he loved her like she loved him? Hadn't what happened between them _meant_ something to him? Was she just imagining that things were more serious than they actually were?

No. Thorne had always been her best friend and if they weren't anything romantically. he was still her best friend. And they had never treated each other like this before so, what was going on?

Instead of wallowing in pity and feeling sorry for herself that Thorne was busy and couldn't talk about something she so desperately needed to talk about, Cress made her way to the store to buy a new comforter.

While browsing the aisles and comparing prices, Cress caught sight of a certain fiery redhead.

"Scarlet?" she asked curiously, looking around the corner of an aisle. Scarlet turned toward her, her face lighting up. Behind her stood Wolf, her super huge super strong boyfriend. He was a wrestling legend in their town. He had won state for their school all four years. He now boxed professionally and helped Scarlet at her grandma's restaurant. They both looked dressed up for a special occasion.

"Cress! It's so good to see you!" she beamed, giving Cress a quick hug. Wolf smiled at her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," she lied. She kept up the smile though and pretended she was an actress from her favorite sit-com, having a casual conversation at the store.

"What are you up to tonight?" Scarlet asked, bumping Cress with her hip. "Me and some people from school are all going dancing tonight and you should totally come!"

Cress hesitated, then smiled again. "Thanks for the offer, but I actually work tonight. Text me next time and I'll go for sure, though."

Scarlet frowned, but didn't press. Wolf took her hand they both turned to leave.

"That's okay. We'll see you next time!" Scarlet said, and Wolf nodded.

"Bye Cress," he said. The two left Cress alone, standing amongst the aisles of fitted sheets and feather pillows.

* * *

Summer came and went as usual. Cress began hanging out with Scarlet and Wolf occasionally. They introduced her to Kai, a very sweet guy who just graduated with them, and Iko, this girl with blue hair who was hilarious. They all hung out and usually sat at Scarlet's family restaurant, eating pizza and just having fun.

Hearing from Thorne began to slowly, sadly, fade.

This became their routine: Occasional texting throughout the week, phone calls on Thursday nights in which Thorne would briefly speak and then have to leave, leaving Cress dazed and somewhat crestfallen.

Once the fall semester started and Cress was balancing both work and school, things started to become a lot more difficult. The pair eventually stopped having weekly phone calls and the texts became fewer and fewer.

Thorne didn't seem to care as much as he once had, or as Cress thought he had. She began feeling the sadness appear in other ways in her life. When Scarlet and Iko would ask her to go and hang out with them, she started to decline more and more, as she felt too depressed to go be outgoing and and adventurous with her friends. It was also really taking a toll on her grades. She had always done really well in school, but she was starting to slack. She wanted more than nothing to just graduate and be done with high school like all of her friends. She wanted to be able to go off to college and get away from her town. The town where she met Thorne and kissed Thorne and spent every day with Thorne and…..

It all became so hard.

They stopped talking one day, all together. Thorne never responded to her text. He opened her snapchat and never answered.

The day was October 22nd.

And that day, Cress decided to do something she had never done before.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you guys liked it! I'm having hard time getting all my thoughts out right now because I have so many new ideas and things I want to happen but I get too excited and can't get anything out lol. Anyway, make sure to review and I'll try to have the next chapter up this weekend! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**November 20th (3 days before Thanksgiving)**

Thorne stepped off the plane with a smile on his face, eager to see his parents for the first time in almost six months. The anticipation building up inside of him was intense. He was excited to see his friends, and see Cress. They hadn't spoken in a while because his schedule had gotten so crazy with his fraternity and classes and trying to maintain a good gpa so that his parents would continue to fund his drinking problem. His "grocery" money they deposited into his account every week tended to go towards potato chips, expensive water bottles, and lots and lots of beer. But they didn't need to know that.

After joining his fraternity, Thorne spent a lot of his time in the house with his friends, and with a _lot_ of girls. His player reputation was now carrying him through his freshmen year of college as well. One girl in particular was on his mind while he was there though, and her name was Cinder.

Cinder was a girl he met in his engineering class. While nothing romantic had happened between them, they had become very good friends. No doubt she was hot, but Thorne couldn't seem to see her in any other way than as one of his pals. She filled the void he needed of a best friend, where Cress had once been.

Cress had stayed on his mind over the past few months anyway, despite all that was going on in his life. She had always been a light in his life that may drive him crazy sometimes, but nevertheless she could always make him smile. Seeing her for the first time in months was no doubt going to be magical. He regretted how much he had started to neglect her. But Cress was Cress, and she would always be his damsel, as he is her Captain.

He walked throughout the airport, pondering these thoughts. He made it through security and headed to the baggage claim, where his parents were waiting for him, holding the cliche sign reading "Carswell Thorne" and all. Thorne grinned the moment he saw them.

His mom instantly burst into tears and they all group hugged, laughing and talking and smiling and feeling like a family for a minute.

* * *

Cress applied red lipstick at her mirror, her new favorite signature. She found satisfaction in the fact it matched the red diamond on her apron she wore to work. The deck of cards thing was kind of tacky, but she loved anything themed.

Lipstick had never really been her thing because she hated how difficult it was to keep it looking nice for a day or an evening. Her long hair also always got stuck in it. Thankfully, that wasn't an issue anymore.

She pulled at her hair into two tiny buns at the base of her neck, per regulation at work. She had to have her hair pulled back at all times, but she always found creative ways to do so.

Looking in the mirror took a while to getting used to, but eventually it became normal.

As she grabbed her keys and purse and headed out the door, her phone began to ring.

 **Incoming call: Thorne**

She felt her heart lurch, and she quickly denied the call.

He was in town.

And she was dreading the inevitable; seeing him.

* * *

After Thorne made it home and unpacked his things in his room he'd be staying in for the next week, he decided he needed to stop by Aces and Spades to get some coffee after his long day of flying. Him and Cress used to go together all the time, so much so that they even had a booth in the corner by the window where they always had sat.

Speaking of Cress, Thorne decided to give her a call. Maybe she would want to tag along and they could sit and catch up.

But, after two rings, it went to voicemail. Thorne frowned, but didn't think much of it. She was busy, but he would see her sometime this week no doubt.

* * *

Cress sighed as she walked into the cafe, not looking forward to the six hour shift ahead of her. She was proud of her outfit for the day though, and tried to make herself seem more confident because of it. She wore ballet flats with a black skirt and tights, her white half-apron, and a black shirt. She had always worn black jeans to work, but the red lipstick seemed to call for a skirt today.

She clocked in on the register and began making drinks with her coworker, Iko. Cress had helped Iko get the job a few months ago. Cress had become much more antisocial since then, but spending time with Iko at work always made her feel better. She had confided in Iko over the past few weeks as they had grown closer, so time at work was much better now and she felt happier when she was there.

Iko grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at her as she made a drink for one of their regulars, Liam. Iko had always insisted on making his drink because she had a crush on him. Cress could agree that he was cute, but she wasn't searching for anyone at the moment, or ever. Thorne had ruined men in her eyes.

Cress laughed and shook her head, starting on another customer's drink. Iko called out Liam's name, and walked to give it to him, standing to chat for a minute as they always did.

At that moment, the bell attached to the door rang out, signalling that a customer had walked in. Cress looked over her shoulder as the tall, well dressed man walked in, wearing dark sunglasses. She would also admit that he was cute.

And then he took off his sunglasses.

And Cress dropped the mug in her hand.

The white mug shattered on the floor behind the counter, sending shards all over the floor. Thankfully, she hadn't put the coffee in yet or her shins would have burned pretty badly.

The entire cafe turned to look her away, and she quickly ran to the back to grab a broom, praying he hadn't seen her.

She made her way to the closet where they kept all of the cleaning supplies, and she felt the panic set in. She began hyperventilating and

pacing, her mind flying through scenario after scenario. He was here, and he didn't care about her anymore, and now it was time to really face it after all of these months of heartache and pain and sadness and he was going to laugh at her or ignore her or pretend she wasn't there and _GOD_ he probably won't even recognize her now that she has short brown hair and lost some weight when she couldn't eat for a while and started wearing more makeup because she found it to be something that calmed her and let her let out her creative side and _oh my god THORNE IS HERE_

Iko then appeared in the doorway of the closet, grabbing Cress and pulling her into a hug.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay Cress. It's okay. I know you're freaking out because that stupid Thorne is here, but it's really going to be okay."

Iko rubbed her back and continued to soothe her. "You're amazing, Cress. You're beautiful and strong and confident and you shouldn't let him stop that."

Cress began to calm her breathing, the panicked thoughts beginning to subside. "You're right," she said, nodding. "I'll be okay."

Iko grinned again, clapping her hands. "Then go show him how much happier you are without him!"

Cress nodded again, and then made her way to the front again, where her manager was currently helping Thorne as he placed his order.

Her heart dropped into her stomach, and she took deep breaths, her eyes trained on him as she walked up to the register, standing behind her manager, Lucy.

Lucy turned to look at her and smiled, stepping back. "Cress will finish your order for you, sir."

Thorne's eyes widened. His mouth dropped open.

" _Cress?"_

* * *

CRESS? THIS WAS CRESS?

His mind was going _insane._ Cress? Got? SO? Hot?

He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly very uncomfortable and very, very confused.

"Hey! Cress! You look, uh, wow." Cress blinked at him and put on her customer service smile.

"What can I get for you?"

Thorne laughed, "A macchiato with coconut milk like always, silly."

Cress typed on the register and then looked up at him again. "That'll be $4.57."

Thorne furrowed his eyebrows and handed her his card. She didn't seem very happy to see him as he had expected. Was something wrong?

"You okay, Damsel?"

"Just fine, Thorne."

He frowned. She hadn't called him Captain. She hadn't even smiled since he returned. What was up with her? He liked the new hair and the new look she had going on, but, this wasn't his Cress at all. Not whatsoever.

Cress then handed him back his card and turned around to start on his drink, leaving Thorne mystified and standing at the register, raking through his mind, trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with her.

"Hey, Cress?"

"I'm sorry, Thorne. I can't really talk right now, I'm working." She sounded autotuned, like a robot. She was entirely emotionless, and that almost hurt him more than if she appeared angry with him.

"Can we talk when you get off? Please?"

His eyes pleaded with her, lip sticking out with the puppy-dog eyes. He was practically begging. Whatever was going on with her was making him feel guilty, which was a feeling he did not feel often. He _had_ to know what was going on with her, or it would drive him absolutely insane. What all had happened in the few short months he had been away at college? Was this because of him or was he being selfish and thinking so?

Cress finally looked at him, really looked at him, and sighed. "I guess."

* * *

 **A/N: YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER! Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm going on a trip this week so I'm unsure exactly when I'll be uploading again, but the more reviews, the more likely I will upload soon :) Please give me lots of feedback and give me your theories as to what will happen next!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter rotates between point of views, just FYI! Enjoy :)**

* * *

As Cress clocked out of work, typing on the ipad, she saw Thorne standing outside the cafe, waiting ever-so patiently for her. She hung up her apron, grabbed her keys, and headed outside, not looking forward to the terrible conversation she was about to have with her best friend.

Er, ex best friend.

Or whatever he was.

As Cress opened the front door, signaling the bell just as Thorne had done hours earlier, she took a step to the side, where he stood, pacing and staring at his phone. He had sat in their booth the entire time he was working, furiously typing away at his phone all the while. Something important must have been going on for him to have done that, as Thorne was very lenient on replying to texts and posting to social media.

Cress took a deep breath and then made a coughing noise to get Thorne's attention, as he was clearly still wrapped up in his phone.

He glanced up and quickly pocketed the phone.

"Hey, Cress, yes-uh, do you wanna come sit in the car so we can talk?" He must have noticed how she was shivering, it was approaching winter after all. Cress obliged and they walked over to Thorne's beloved car, the Rampion.

Cress had always loved his car, maybe as much as he did, simply due to the fact that all of their adventures had taken place with this car, and she helped him come up with the name when he got his license years ago. But now the Rampion seemed tainted and different, nothing like the car she once knew and loved. Despite these odd feelings, she climbed into the passenger seat as Thorne started the engine and turned up the heat.

He then drew in a deep breath.

"So, we need to talk," he said, as Cress stared at the glove box, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she avoided eye contact and any sort of emotional connection to the guy she had loved sitting beside her. Everything still felt so unsettling; everything that had happened between them, that is. One day they were confessing their love for one another and the next they were practically strangers, awkwardly drifting apart and feeling uncomfortable around each other. Cress couldn't remember a time before now when she was uncomfortable around Thorne; not since they had first met as children when he had moved into her neighborhood. She hadn't quite hit puberty yet so her feelings of attraction weren't quite the same as they are now, but she knew when she had seen him that they were going to be something….something special. Maybe it was from all of the soap operas and dramas she loved to watch, but she felt an unreal connection and knew what she had felt was love at first sight. He was going to be her knight in shining armor one day, she just knew it.

But that was then, and this was now.

Cress sniffed, her nose runny from allergies and the weather. She glanced over the dashboard at the cafe, neon lights flashing in the window. That kept her eyes focused while her mind reeled and raced, thinking of possible outcomes to this talk.

None of them ended well.

"Yeah...you're right." said Cress, tugging out the little buns her hair was tied into it. Her hair fell to her shoulders in waves from the updo. The brunette look was something she had been sporting since October when she felt the need to reinvent herself. She had been too naive before; too forgiving, too kind, too _Cress._ Going through a break up (if you could even call this a break up) was never easy. Iko had told Cress about how a lot of girls changed something about themselves after a rough break up, like their hair or makeup, maybe their style of outfits. It was a good way to transition into a new section of life; a chapter of life without Carswell Thorne as her main focus.

Thorne stared at her, watching as she sat back in the passenger seat, refusing to look back at him. It hurt him, like a little jab to the heart. He was a lot worse than he had originally thought.

He cleared his throat, pulling out his phone and pulling up his notes. While Cress was working, he knew she would have become annoyed if he had sat there and prodded her with questions and kept looking at her the entire time she was on the clock. So he resulted to jotting everything going through his mind down in his note folder on his phone. He knew if he was in the moment that he wouldn't be able to keep his thoughts straight and this would be a good way to get all the bases covered.

"I wrote all of this down while I was sitting inside, and I thought you might want to hear it," he said, sparing her one last glance before he began to read. She was now looking at her shoes. He tried to hide the twinge of pain he felt.

"I know that what you're feeling toward me must not be positive in any way right now, and that I seem like a complete and total _ass_ , but I care about you, Cress. You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I don't want our relationship to just fizzle out into indifference." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He turned the AC down a bit as he was nervous and the heat was becoming a little too hot. "I did love you, Cress. I was crazy about you for almost an entire year. You meant so much to me and-"

"That's hard to believe," she muttered, interrupting. Thorne looked over at her as she finally stared him dead in the eye, a grim look on her face. As firm as she tried to stand with her words and her posture, he knew she was trembling on the inside. Cress wasn't the assertive type, but here she was now, disagreeing and standing up to him, obviously more than upset: hurt. His heart squeezed at this thought. He had truly hurt her, and the guilt was eating at him.

"Elabortate," he said, his eyes pleading with her.

Cress stared deep into his pools of blue, darker and more vibrant than her own. She wanted him to feel all of the embarrassment, disappointment, heartache, and pain she had felt over the past six months. She hadn't deserved how he had treated her, and it took her so long to realize that. It took her so long to build her confidence back up and feel as though she deserved better. She was always the shy girl who was adopted, the one everyone wouldn't play with and wouldn't bother to chat with. Thorne had changed that for her, and as soon as he was gone, she was back to being insignificant and unworthy.

As a tear she hadn't realized was coming ran down her cheek, she inhaled.

"You-you...You used me when I was vulnerable and putty in your hands, then left me in the dust for your new college life and college friends and college girls. You made me f-feel...", she said, starting to get choked up, the lump in her throat rising as tears started coming more freely. "like the feelings I had for you were mutual, and then completely ditched me and left me to-to feel like nothing, like I was just _trash!_ "

Her words stung, like a slap to the face. Thorne watched her closely, wanting to reach out and hold her close and tell her the truth. Tell her why he was this way and why he acted out and ignored and avoided her. This new reality hurt and he didn't like it. He was now the villain in the narrative, and antagonist who had broken her precious heart that no other human deserved. He was being hard on himself, but for good reason. He deserved punishment for how badly she was hurting. It was all his fault. He had done this.

Cress was breaking down in front of him, withdrawing the walls she had been placing up as time had passed without him by her side. This was his fault, because of his mistakes and _his_ actions. The air became hotter and hotter and it felt like he was suffocating. Like a punch to gut, he realized how he had royally screwed everything up.

"I need some air," he said quickly, stepping out of the car.

The tears smudged her makeup and made her cheeks red. Cress felt the shaky breaths escape her, felt the insurmountable tension that was plaguing the Rampion. She had never been anything but disposable to him, just a temporary pleasure and nothing more.

She was unwanted. Secondhand. Exactly as she had said, trash.

All of a sudden the passenger door was open, and Thorne was standing a foot away from her, holding the door with one hand and wiping the mistiness from his eyes with the other. He sniffed and looked down at her, panting.

"Cress, I'm an idiot. I've always been a complete and total idiot, and you know that. But I messed up, badly. I hurt you and broke your heart and that was something I never, ever wanted to do. You are the most incredible girl I have ever met and I was so stupid to ever think that I needed to be without you in my life. I may be good at hiding it, but moving away was the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life."

He stared into her eyes, meaning and purpose dripping with every single word he spoke.

"I thought it would be best for you to move on from me, and the only way I knew how to do that was to cut off contact. I'm no good for you, Cress," a single tear rolled down his face, and he made a laughing sound, clearly having a hard time getting the rest of this out. No one knew what he was about to say.

"I caught my dad having an affair with my mom in April. I had walked into my dad's study one afternoon after school and there was a girl, not a woman, a GIRL! She couldn't have been over thirty, and was just casually having sex with my wealthy father. And he saw me. He knew that I knew." Thorne got choked up again and took deep breaths, trying to stay strong for Cress. His pain was never going to be anything like what she felt. "My dad didn't want me around with that dirty information, so he said threatened to kick me out if I didn't go to the school he wanted me to go to, in New York. I hadn't accepted my admission yet, but he forced me to. He didn't want to take any chances with me telling mom. Cress, I was going to go to the community college a town over so I could stay here with you, but I had no choice... I had to fake it in front of my mom for weeks,and pretend I didn't hate my dad...He told her and they 'worked it out', but I know she's just desperate to salvage their marriage and that there's nothing I can do to help."

Cress placed a hand on his cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb.

"I thought you would be better off without me in your life to ruin all of your chances at that acting career you've spent so long dreaming off and raving about. I'm not a stand up guy, I'm not boyfriend material. You deserve someone who's put together and not an alcoholic and someone who can take care of you and protect you and love you and, _my God Cress,_ I love you so much I can't stand it sometimes." His breathing was ragged and his face was transparent, feeling and emotion written all over it. "I didn't want to break your heart like my dad broke my mom's but I ended up doing that anyway, and I can't live with myself knowing that I hurt you like that."

Cress was sobbing, trembling as he spoke, crumbling into pieces before his very eyes. "C-C-Carswell-"

"I don't want you to think that that night we had together was a sham or just a one night thing. I wanted you, I still want you, and always will. I'm so sorry I treated you so badly and hurt you, you don't deserve that."

Cress got out of the car and hugged him tightly, while he clutched her and reciprocated the embrace.

The stood there for a while, holding each other as they cried.

Cress hadn't seen Thorne cry since he was in middle school and some bully told him his hair looked stupid. Thorne was a pretty put together guy when it came to emotions, but she was thankful he felt comfortable enough to open up to her as he used to.

Cress pulled back and cupped his cheeks in her hands, sniffing and breathing hard, looking into his eyes.

"It's okay, Carswell. You're always going to be my Captain."

And she kissed him as if their lives depended on it, and as if things were never jaded and confusing between them. As things should have been, all along.

* * *

 **A/N: WHAT a rollercoaster! Please please PLEASE tell me what you thought of this chapter and i'll try to update again soon! Love you guys!**


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